To Protect His Dream
by Mystixa
Summary: This is a future fic. Naruto is about to be Hokage. And Sasuke has finally returned back to Konoha...But where is Sakura? Sasusaku fic
1. Prologue

**To Protect His Dream…**

I stand on top of the cliff…staring at my twin brother. He stares back at me, a sad smile on his face that mirrors my own. It is fitting that I fight him here, at the same place our father fought his best friend before leaving this village…the same place where he met up again with his original team three years later…the same place where a part of his dream became real…

Together, as one, we activated our eyes, the special swirling red eyes that can see through any ninja technique and can only be achieved by those of our blood. The Uchiha blood. My hands trembled slightly as I took a kunai out of my leg holster. My brother, who looks so much like my father, scrutinized me with a frown. He hasn't realized ityet that the match is over…that he will win in the end. How can I fight and try to kill him when he is the spitting image of Otousan with his sharingan activated? It is better that I die…so that my brother, my best friend, can aid my father in his mission of redemption. It is better that I die…so that I don't remind otousan of okaasan. I have my father's dark hair, but my face and my eye color are that of my mother's. My brother, on the other hand, only has my mother's vivid green eyes.

We talked about it last night and came to the same conclusion. One of us has to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Kaleidoscope Sharingan that allows an Uchiha to enter into anyone's mind and manipulate thoughts and dreams within the blink of an eye. To do so means we have to kill our best friend. Fortunately and unfortunately for us, we were each other's best friend.

It is good that we won't be inflicting any sorrow on another family. It is good that we are keeping this as just an Uchiha business. It is good that one of us will be able to help our father out. Thus, we made a pact to fight each other, to the best of our abilities, so that one of us will get stronger…and the other one…won't die without a fight.

_Gomen, oniichan…I have to break my promise…_

"Put down your kunai." My brother shook his head and looked straight into my eyes, the three commas in each eye swirling dangerously. "Our best-that's what we promised each other last night. Chidori and nothing else."

I froze, thinking that he has seen through my act, but to my relief, he got into the Chidori stance and waited for me. _He doesn't know. It's better this way…then he can't see the details. I'll just have to move my hand to a certain degree, and make sure to move my body so that he'll hit a vital organ…_

A few quick hand seals, and both our palms were glowing with blue chakra, and the sound of a thousand birds drowned out the thundering of the waterfall between us. We both moved simultaneously, our chakra-covered feet slapping the water as we raced towards each other. _Keep your eyes open, keep your eyes open…_I chanted over and over in my mind.

Many things happened in half a second. My brother's eyes closed and he grimaced as he stretched out his hand to push the chidori into my body. My own hand, crackling with its own chidori, moved away so that my brother will live. And in that half a second, a body came in between us and took the full impact of my chidori along with my brother's chidori.

My eyes widened and the chidori dissipated in my hand. It was our sensei.

My brother, at this point, had opened his eyes. He started trembling as he saw the blood running from our teacher's body. Two holes on her body. Two twin chidori holes on her body. She turned to face him, and without flinching, enfolded him to her body, as she gently tugged on my own palm and embraced me as well.

"Oh my…"

I watched in disbelief as the high-level genjutsu that was covering her faded away. It was so tightly woven to her body that not even our Sharingan picked it up. I looked up to see my own brother's reactions. His mirrored my own.

Our sensei's gray hair faded to a light pink. Her eyes went from sky blue to vivid green. Emerald green. Our green. And her face changed, from a wrinkled old woman to much younger woman-around her 20s. Her face…looks just like mine.

Then, I felt a pressure on my shoulder and everything turned black…And only one thing kept on circling around my mind as my eyelids fluttered close was: _Otousan, gomen, we just killed Okaasan…_

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic and I am writing a prequel at the same time. So please be patient. Thank you.


	2. The Valley of the End

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Two weeks ago:**

"Otousan, what is this place called?"

"The Valley of the End…"

"Aren't we going to Konoha Village? Why are we stopping here?"

"We're waiting for someone…"

"SASUKE-TEME!"

A man, the same age as otousan, came out from the forest. His fists were clenched to his sides, a signal that both my brother and I picked up. We activated our Sharingan and got into a battle stance. But before we could blink, he was right beside our father and was…hugging him.

Our father, at first turned his stoic face to my brother then to me, and then, to our disbelief, he started laughing and hugged the strange man back.

"Watch your language, dobe. My children are here."

The man started chuckling and placed his right hand to the back of his head. "Gomen, gomen…ano sa, ano sa…what are you doing back here? Are you staying for good? The Uchiha district is bustling with people and they're all waiting for their leader."

"Aah…" Otousan's face turned serious as he looked at my brother and me. "Naruto, these are my children. Uchiha Shishui and Uchiha Sakura. Kids, this is Naruto. He was my former genin teammate and…IS still my best friend. You can call him Uncle Naruto."

At the sound of my name, the strange man's lips quivered and he looked like he was about to cry. He turned to otousan and smiled at him. "I can still remember the day they were born. Actually, it was right around here." He paused and looked at our father up and down, his face scrunched up as he scrutinized otousan. "Fatherhood suits you," he nodded, "…but what about your other goal?"

Our father got quiet and his eyes stared up into the sky. "I…I had abandoned that dream…but…now, I have to do it. Because he's coming after them…after my family." He smiled sadly at us before turning his attention back to Naruto. "Just like he came after her."

"Ooh…"

They both got quiet as they reminisced about their past. My twin and I just stood there and watched in disbelief as emotions manifested themselves on our father's usual stoic face. Otousan was the first to break the silence.

"Naruto, I came back not only for my children's protection. I heard your dream is finally coming true. Tsunada-sama is naming you the next Hokage." He smiled sadly as he looked at us. "I want to see your dream come true, just like you saw my dream come true."

"Actually, I told Tsunada-obachan that I wouldn't accept it until I complete a certain mission."

"Nani? What mission?"

"An S-Rank mission-to kill Uchiha Itachi." Then Naruto got into this weird pose, where his teeth actually 'pinged' and he held a thumb-up to my father. "My promise of a lifetime to you. I'll help you achieve your dream first before I become Hokage! I promise you…"

Otousan closed his eyes, as if he was remembering something painful…maybe a bittersweet memory. He whispered softly, the waterfalls almost drowning out the quiet words. "For a moment, you sounded just like her…Arigato, Naruto." Then, he straightened his back, as if thinking of something, then turned a serious face to his best friend. "Actually, I would rather you stay here and protect them. My children are my dream…as well as hers. If anything should happen to me…please, take care of them. If not for me, then for her. I don't want them to experience the pain of loneliness that we did…"

The blond-haired man pouted and stared hard at our father. I sweat dropped at the comical expression on this guy's face. I looked over at my brother and he was busy scrutinizing the guy, trying to decide if this guy was a joker or just acting. I can see him ready to question otousan about the decision to have this man protect us and care for us.

"Hai, fine…but in return, you have to come back to Konoha after you kill him. Come back and live out your life as a Konoha shinobi."

"Naruto…"

"The first time we came to this place, I had made a promise to her. A promise of a lifetime. It's the only promise that I couldn't fulfill right away…"

Then before I could blink, I felt a hard pressure on my neck. I stared up in disbelief at my father as my heartbeat slowed down and my eyelids dropped down. As the world turned black, I could still hear them, their voices slowly fading to whispers.

"…In a month…" "…you sure?" "…if not…don't wait…" "…Mangekyou Sharingan…"

_What's the Mangekyou Sharingan?_

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic and I am writing a prequel at the same time. So please be patient. Thank you. Also, here's the timeline: Naruto and Sasuke are 26 yrs old. I won't reveal the children's age yet as I haven't decided exactly how old I want them to be but you can give me suggestions. They're suppose to be geniuses, and hence that's why they mastered the Chidori and have already activated the full Sharingan. Okay that's it for now. 


	3. The First Test

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Thirteen Days Ago:**

" Uzumaki-san, where are we?" My brother, Uchiha Shishui glared at the man we just met yesterday, the man that our father called left us with after he knocked us out. We were standing on a red bridge beside what looks to be a training ground since there are kunai and shuriken marks on stumps of trees and on the ground.

"What did I say about that? Ano-sa, don't make me feel sooooooo old. It's Naruto or Naruto-san, ne?" Naruto-san smiled wistfully and replied, "This is where your father and I and your mother trained as Team 7. This is our training ground."

Both oniichan and I quietly absorbed the information and reflected on everything that happened since yesterday.

We both woke up this morning in an unknown room, which later we found out to be our father's old room when he was growing up prior to the Uchiha tragedy. Our father tries to tell us everything, or at least everything that is of importance to our survival. When we first activated our Sharingan, he sat us down and told us of the Uchiha massacre that was committed by otousan's own brother, Uchiha Itachi. And on the journey back to Konoha, he also told us of his childhood, about Team 7, about Uzumaki Naruto, and about his other teammate, the woman that I was named after, Haruno Sakura. And when we came to the Valley of the End, before Uzumaki-san showed up, he told us about the importance of the place…of how he fought his best friend there, of how he met up with Team 7 three years later, and of how he and okaasan raced back to that place and met up with Naruto-san as a witness so that we would be born there, on the outskirts of Konoha…so that we would be citizens of Konoha and have a place later to call home.

Naruto-san had come in right when we were rubbing the sleep on our eyes and cheerfully greeted us an "Ohayo!" which we mumbled back. Then, once we were done washing up, he took us to this ramen stand, Ichiraku, to have a big breakfast full of noodles. I had one bowl of miso ramen while my brother ordered a pork ramen. Naruto-san ordered twenty bowls and right before our very eyes, he inhaled one bowl every three minutes. I shouldn't have been surprised. That was one of the trademarks of Naruto-san, according to otousan.

Afterwards, he took us to a tailor to get custom-made clothes. He explained to us that since Uchiha Itachi, the man that our father left to go kill, already knew of our existence, then there is no use hiding the fact that we are of the Uchiha clan. He ordered us a whole set of wardrobe with the Uchiha insignia of a red fan embroidered on the back, telling us that this is what otousan would have wanted but just forgot to put in the to-do list. Our hands were full of boxes when Uzumaki-san took out this "to-do list" and my brother and I almost dropped our boxes when we saw how long the list was. We started snickering as our father's best friend scratched his head in confusion.

"That Sasuke-teme must think I'm an idiot!" he exclaimed. Then his eyes went wide as he looked at the very first thing on this list. Oniichan and I dropped the boxes and pulled Uzumaki-san down on his knees so we can see this list. In big bold letters, with a chibi-otousan drawing on the left side shaking his head, was the #1 Rule:

**Dobe, don't swear in front on my children!**

Then, the #2 Rule was:

**Uchiha Shishui and Uchiha Sakura, what did I tell you about being nosey! Ask Naruto first if you can see the list.**

We all looked at each other and grinned sheepishly, with Uzumaki-san chuckling at our father's insight. He smiled at us and handed over the list so we can properly look at it.

"Arigato, Uzumaki-san!" I chirped at him. He blushed in embarrassment and said in a strict tone that I shouldn't call him that…It's just plain Naruto, or Naruto-san.

The list wasn't really that long. There were only five things there that Naruto-san had to do for us. The reason that the list was so long was because it was peppered with things that Naruto-san should and should not do for himself. Like:

#4: **Chew with your mouth close, dobe.**

21: **Don't eat ramen every single time.**

#25: **Don't call the Hokage, Tsunada-obachan.**

#44: **Don't forget to sharpen your kunais.**

Then, on the bottom, was the explanation.

**Dobe, I don't want my children picking up your bad habits. **

"Naruto-san, who's Hinata?" My brother grinned up at him and poked him on the side with his elbow. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Nani, nani?"

I pointed to #51, the last one on the list. **Talk to Hinata.**

Naruto-san looked sad and shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend…she's just one of my precious person." He shrugged and stood up. "She already likes someone. Everyone keeps on telling me that."

"Who, Naruto-san?" I asked, tipping my head up to look at him.

He just grinned at oniichan and me and said it wasn't important. Then, he took us to a building he called the ninja Academy and signed us up to start school the next day. And now, we're waiting for Naruto-san's friends, the ones who would test our skills to determine which level we will be entering in.

"Naruto-san, please don't tell anyone our age," oniichan crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He looks just like otousan when he does that. "Otousan doesn't want anyone to know who our okaasan is."

"Even if I don't tell my friends your age," Naruto-san grinned, "they will know." He looked at oniichan then at me. "You both have your mother's eyes and also her skill. Once they test you, they'll know. But don't worry, no one else can tell. Only shinobis can pick up details like that."

"Her skill?" I raised my eyebrow. "What skill?"

"Perfect chakra control. When you guys execute a jutsu, it will be apparent. And you can't fake it either…you can't waste more chakra when you know how to do it the right way. So do your best. Show them what an Uchiha can do. Make your otousan and okaasan proud. Your father graduated as the top rookie and your mother as the top kunoichi."

"Hai," We said it together. I grinned at oniichan and he flashed a smirk back. This is going to be fun. Naruto-san unknowingly gave us the green light to use our full power and not to hold back.

We didn't wait too long before four figures stepped onto the bridge. They looked at us first before nodding an acknowledgement to Naruto-san. I can see it in their eyes that they have figured out who we are.

"So these are the children of Uchiha Sasuke." A man with pearl colored eyes turned to towards a woman with the same eyes as him. "Hinata-sama, do you want to administer the tests?"

She spoke softly but her voice held a quiet authority. "Neji-ni-san, I think you should do it. These children are strong." She glanced at Naruto-san and a red blush appeared on her cheeks. But Naruto-san seemed to be oblivious to this. "Naruto-kun…what do you think?"

"Let Neji fight them first. Then we'll have Shikamaru's son fight them as well."

"Do I have to? How troublesome!" A boy with blond hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail frowned. "Otousan, you said I could go cloud-watching with you today!"

"Hai, hai," A man with dark brown hair and the same hairstyle as the boy shrugged his shoulders. "But your okaasan would be yelling and screaming at me later if she finds out I pulled you out of school just for that. We can go cloud-watching after this."

Naruto-san smiled at us as he took our hands and led everyone to the training ground. He introduced everyone to us and vice versa. Then, he explained to us the rules, that we will be teaming up against the pearl-colored man named Neji and then we'll be fighting Inomaru, the little boy, individually. Then finally, all three of us, my brother, Inomaru, and I, will fight Naruto-san.

Hyuga-san got into the battle stance. However, I looked worriedly at my brother then at Naruto.

"Don't hold back," the stern voice of Hyuga-san snapped my attention back to him. "I am an elite Jounin. You have to come at me with a killer intent or else you won't survive."

"Sharingan!" Oniichan had activated his Sharingan and was waiting for me to do the same. I hesitated for a moment before activating mine as well. Everyone else, with the exception of Naruto-san, was shocked. Hyuga-san's eyes narrowed as he smirked.

"Oniichan," I yelled out, keeping my eyes on our opponent. "Remember what otousan said. Genjutsus won't work on a Hyuga. Their eyes are sharper than ours. "

"Also to keep our distance," oniichan added. "And we can't copy some of his techniques because they are part of his advanced bloodline.

Hyuga-san straightened up from his battle stance and crossed his arms. Looks like we have to attack first.

I looked at oniichan and he nodded back at me. We have trained together for so long that we can communicate without words our strategies. Our movements are synchronized and when I start doing jutsus, I don't have to worry about hitting him. He knows where to go and what to do to boost up my own attack and vice-versa.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" He yelled out. Three replicas of my brother popped up. Then, they all started forming seals, but each one was doing a different technique. It had taken us many months to be able to master moving our replicas, control our chakra in every one of them, and getting them to form a different technique from us.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" And the whole battlefield was covered in mists. It was a good thing that there was a river nearby so that we can use water jutsus too.

I formed my own Kage Bunshins. Three replicas of me also popped out and I instructed two of them to form the same technique while the other one was to work with me. This replica formed some hand seals and transformed into four giant shurikens. I grabbed them and yelled out, "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" and threw the giant four-windmill shuriken towards the area where my brother was aiming his Katon jutsus.

Oniichan, right after the mist-covering jutsu, had performed the Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu, the very first jutsu that we learned from our father to mark us as an adult in the Uchiha clan. It was set to distract Hyuga-san since his eyes could pierce through the mist. Then he performed the Katon Housenka. It shot fireballs towards Hyuga-san with shurikens hidden in the flames. The attack complements my Kage Shuriken no Jutsu. I watched in anticipation as Hyuga-san danced away from the flames and threw his own shurikens to deflect oniichan's attack. Then he twirled around and created a shield made of chakra to deflect my giant four-windmill shuriken and threw a kunai to hit the hidden shuriken. My bunshin popped out as it got hit.

Suddenly, my other two replicas had completed their own jutsus, and two sets of hands popped out from underneath the ground and held Hyuga-san by his feet. His eyes widened as oniichan smirked.

"Katon Ryuuka no Justu!" I yelled out after performing the proper hand seals. My brother's voice yelled out at the same time, "Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" Two twin dragons, one made of water and the other made of fire, raced towards Hyuga-san's body. I grinned as the two collided and a huge column of mist rose up. However, oniichan started yelping out and my eyes widened in shock. A log was in place where Hyuga-san once stood. Then my feet were off the ground and I started kicking and screaming.

Naruto-san was laughing and holding his stomach. The girl with the pearl-colored eyes, Hinata-sama as Hyuga-san called her, was clapping her hands. And the little boy, Inomaru, was snoring while standing up. His father, Nara-san, was just shaking his head.

Both my brother and I were held up by the back of our shirts by Hyuga-san and his replica. We were tossed to Naruto-san and landed on our bottoms. I winced as I hit the ground.

"Next time," Hyuga-san's voice held a tinge of amusement, "remember that your own technique can be used against you."

"What happened?" Oniichan stood and scowled, dusting his pants off. "When did you do a Kawarimi no Justu?"

Nara-san spoke up, his voice had a tint of lazy drawl. "When you did the mist concealment, he performed the Kage Bunshin no jutsu and had a replica standing in his place. He placed himself in the trees and just waited. Then, after you two performed the dragon jutsus, he made two replicas and each of them just strolled up behind you two and lifted you off the ground."

"Wait, so where's Hyuga-san?" I looked around and saw Hyuga-san coming out of the trees. His two replicas bowed to him before disappearing in a puff.

"My initial job is to assess your skills. You both need to be more aware of your surroundings." Hyuga-san bowed to Naruto-san and took his place behind the woman that Naruto-san has a crush on. "Hinata-sama, should we get going?"

"Naruto-san, should we call her Hinata-sama too?" Oniichan scrutinized her up and down. "Is this the woman otousan wrote on his list?"

"You should ask her out on a date!" I smirked as the woman turned bright red. I could see a big sweat-drop forming on Naruto-san's forehead. Behind her, Hyuga-san was also smirking. "Unless you're scared, Naruto-san."

"Then we'll ask her out for you!" Oniichan turned to the woman and bowed, "Please go to dinner with Naruto-san, Hinata-sama. Or else my sister and I will end up eating ramen for dinner!"

"Oh my…"

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic. Here's some explanation: People tell Naruto that Hinata likes someone and he doesn't get the hint that Hinata likes him. Therefore, he thinks Hinata likes another guy. I got the name Inomaru from Prime Minister's fanfic "Worth the Trouble." Please don't get mad, Prime Minister. I couldn't think of what else to name him. I hope you don't mind. If you do, I'll change it. Also, the reason the twins know so many jutsus is because their father showed them the jutsus and even though they don't have a large amount of chakra, they have perfect chakra control like their mother. Please review. 


	4. A Sensei for Team 1

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Twelve Days Ago: (3rd person's point of view)**

"Team 1 is assigned to you. Nara Inomaru, Uchiha Shishui, and Uchiha Sakura are under your care now."

"Why me? I am the last person who should be their sensei."

Naruto sighed and handed the folder with the children's stats to his friend, the protégée of the Hokage herself, Haruno Sakura. "Come on Sakura-chan, you're smarter than that!"

She frowned at the blond-haired fox boy before looking over the papers. "The children are geniuses, Naruto. I can't risk them finding out…" She placed the folder down and pushed it towards her close friend.

Naruto slammed his fist down on the table and glared at her. "Sakura-chan, right now, he is not here in Konoha Village. He is going after one of the most wanted S-criminal out there…"

"Which was your mission in the first place…"

"No Sakura!" He crossed his arms and squinted at her, his face scrunching up as he nodded his head. "It's been so many years, Sakura. So many years…I am not going to take that away from him." His eyes softened as he reminisced a distant memory and softly added, "Isn't that what you said before?"

"Naruto…"

"You had the chance to keep Uchiha Sasuke here in Konoha. You had the chance, Sakura, and yet…you chose to do something else." The soon-to-be Hokage walked over to the pink-haired kunoichi and pulled her into a hug. "You sacrificed so much for him…why can't you let yourself feel a little bit of happiness?"

"I don't want to be selfish, Naruto." Sakura hugged herself and bit her lips. "I don't want to be selfish."

He let go of the embrace to stare incredulously at her. "Selfish? Selfish? That's the last thing anyone would say about you." Naruto shook his head and chuckled, "For someone with a big forehead, you sure are slow."

Sakura turned away to look out the window. The cherry blossom tree stood silent in her garden, the pink leaves slowly fluttering from the many branches. "I was so selfish when we were twelve. You guys had dreams…and I had nothing. Just a crush that I still can't get over…"

"Sakura-chan, please. You are not twelve anymore. You are 26 years old." He stared out the window too, admiring how the many flowers were blossoming under the bright sun. "Fourteen years ago, we were placed in the same team with him…Uchiha Sasuke. And a lot happened that year. We became his precious people, and for that, we were at risk."

"…the Mangekyou Sharingan…" she whispered.

"I don't think Sasuke left to gain power, although that's what he wanted us to believe. He's Mr. Cool Guy…doesn't want anyone to know that he's anything but strong. Sakura, listen, you know in your heart the reason why he left."

"… 'Arigato'…" Sakura shook her head and blinked her eyes, trying to push back the tears that were pooling in her eyes. "It took me a while to figure out why he said that."

Naruto nodded his head, his expression serious. "He was thanking you for being his friend, his close friend…one of his precious people. He left us so that we won't be at risk to be sacrificed for the Mangekyou Sharingan. Even though we didn't agree with his choice, he firmly believed that going to Orochimaru was the better thing for him to do. He would rather give in and sacrifice himself for power than sacrifice us…"

Sakura smiled as the memories came flooding back to her. "And yet we didn't understand him, Naruto. We developed our own special jutsus to help him."

"Eleven years ago, just as we were crossing the borders of Konoha…"

"The Valley of the End…and he was there, waiting for us…"

"And then…YOU KNOCKED ME OUT!" Naruto started flapping his hands as tears ran down his cheeks. "Sakura-chan, why did you do that!"

She sweat dropped as Naruto started wailing, reminding her of her other over-exuberant friend, Rock Lee. "See, dobe," Sakura smiled wryly at her prankster friend, "I was prepared to leave. I already got clearance from Tsunade to go out on my own and learn medical techniques from other countries…you, on the other hand, just packed a lot of instant ramen and didn't tell anyone where you were going to go or the fact that you were even going out of the Leaf Village in the first place. So of course, I had to get you back or you would have been declared a missing nin."

"You still haven't told me or anyone else what happened during those three years that you were gone."

"That's between him and me…" she softly replied.

"And then…I got that letter from him…and to my surprise, when I met up with you guys at the Valley of the End…you were pregnant. At least you guys didn't keep me out of that one."

Sakura turned to Naruto and smiled sadly at him. "I wanted his children to be born in Konoha. And he also wanted you to watch the completion of one of his dreams."

"…it was actually more about your dream, Sakura…" he shook his head at his former teammate. "He wanted me to witness you achieving your dream. Your dream of being with him…as a family."

"So many things happened that day, Naruto…"

"Yeah…it was a good thing you sent me to wash the twins while you had your alone time with Sasuke. Otherwise, Itachi would have known about them."

"Sasuke-kun was so scared when his brother showed up. And I don't mean scared like frozen with fear. He was scared that Itachi would hurt his babies. And I made the decision when I saw him forming the Chidori and Itachi just standing there, relaxed and amused." Sakura turned to Naruto and picked up the folder, weighing it in her hand. "Sasuke-kun was right…his brother had a huge advantage due to the Mangekyou Sharingan…and the only thing I could do was to help him gain it. It wasn't right to keep him here in the Leaf Village…not when his security and that of his friends are at risk due to Itachi. I wasn't going to take his dream, not of revenge but of safety and security, away from him."

"Sakura-chan, you already missed so many years of your children's life."

"His children, Naruto. His children." She shook her head sadly. "They are not my children…"

"No, they are your children. Please Sakura-chan, let them spend time with you…even if you don't want to reveal that you are their mother. They still think you are dead. Well, technically, you did die. And thanks to you, Sasuke activated the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"I have to use a high-end genjutsu to change my appearance…hmmm…but wait, why are you putting them in a team already instead of waiting for graduation day?"

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Uchiha Shishui and Uchiha Sakura have already activated the full Sharingan. They already know a lot of high-level jutsus and thus would need a sensei to guide them in the proper usage of such dangerous techniques. Iruka-sensei can't give them the attention and guidance that they would need."

Sakura sighed and cocked her head to one side. "What about Inomaru?"

The blond-haired shinobi nodded his head to show that he was getting to that part. "Inomaru turns out to be a genius like his father but he is so lazy that he probably would fail the graduating Henge test because he would be sleeping while standing up and not executing the jutsu. Ino would end up yelling at him, then at Shikamaru, and force the two to do chores for a whole month…so this saves a lot of people a lot of trouble and you would be doing Shikamaru and Ino a favor by accepting."

Naruto grinned at Sakura as he continued, "Besides you, the only other candidates for their sensei is Kakashi-sensei, Gai-san, or me, since the twins need someone who knows a lot about the Sharingan and its capabilities and weaknesses. However, I can't do it because I am getting trained by Tsunade-obaachan and Ero-sennin on Hokage duties. Kakashi-sensei would probably be deployed on another S-rank mission. And do you really want your children to be trained by Gai? They might start acting like him!"

Sakura looked at the papers in the folder one more time before coming to a decision. _I hope Sasuke-kun doesn't find out. Not until he has fulfilled all of his dreams-I don't want him to lose the Mangekyou Sharingan before killing his brother…_

"Fine, Naruto. I'll do it. Team 1 is now under my care."

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic. Here's some explanation: The Time that I put in the top is the time from the Prologue-so its going backwards. So for each consecutive chapter, it will go down- so next chapter will be eleven days ago, ten days ago…until it reaches to the time in the prologue. Each chapter will be one day later. Also, I hope this clears some confusion up. Sakura was killed by Sasuke…but thanks to a special jutsu, which will be explained later, she is still alive. But now…the children might have killed her since two Chidoris went into her body instead of just one-so she may not survive… PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Stressful Day

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Eleven Days Ago: **

I watched my brother as he threw ten kunais at the various targets, my heart breaking as he growled in frustration. He shot a glare at me before slumping down unto the ground due to exhaustion from both chakra depletion and everything else that happened today. I twirled a shuriken around my finger and went to sit down next to him. I sighed and stretched myself out on the green grass, staring up into the diamond-filled sky. I closed my eyes as the silence blanketed me, surrounding me like a warm comforting cocoon, reminding me of Otousan and his quiet presence.

"I want to leave, Sakura…" The soft voice of my brother drifted over to me and I wearily opened up my eyes. "I don't belong here…we don't belong here…"

I sadly nodded my head in agreement as I thought back to everything that happened today:

Flashback:

_"…Uchiha twins?…""…Father is Sasuke?…you sure it is not Itachi?…"_

_"…don't look at them…it's bad luck…""…can't be friends with them…end up dead…"_

_"…Sharingan at six?…too powerful already…"_

_"…they shouldn't be here…children of a traitor…"_

_"…who is their mother?" "…I heard he raped a girl and took her hostage until she gave birth to them…" "…Rape?…"_

Whispers and stares followed us as we walked through the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. Our sensei, an old woman with silver-grey hair and eyes blue yet cloudy with age, at one point, performed a genjutsu on a villager and winked at us as the woman, the one who whispered that otousan raped our mother, started screaming about frogs in her hair. When we arrived at the training ground, I was surprised that it is the same place where our father, mother and Naruto-san practiced as Team 7 and where Naruto-san gave us the three tests that ultimately resulted in the formation of Team 1. Our sensei sat down on a tree stump and motioned for us to sit down on the ground. Then she asked us information about ourselves, like name and likes and dislikes and most importantly, dreams for the future.

My brother, as usual, made the first move. He introduced himself as Uchiha Shishui and said that he does not like many things and he dislikes a whole lot more stuff. His dream is to be a strong ninja and become legendary, like otousan. Inomaru went next, and said that his name is Nara Inomaru and he likes watching stars more than clouds but is not really choosey about it and he dislikes being called Ino-chan because that's what his father calls his mother. As for me…

"_My name is Uchiha Sakura. I like nice people. I dislike stupid people. My dream is to learn a genjutsu strong enough to change my appearance forever…so that Otousan won't be sad when he looks at me…"_

Our sensei was startled when I said this, and after a bit of prodding from her, and ignoring the hard stares and the occasional warning flash of red from his eyes from my brother, I explained to our teacher that I looked too much like our mother. She then asked me what I do know of Okaasan and I replied truthfully…

"_Otousan named oniichan and me after people that helped an Uchiha member achieve his/her dream. The first Shishui-san was the best friend of otousan's brother. And I am named after Okaasan…for she too helped my father achieve his dream. She sacrificed herself to make Otousan stronger. Otousan doesn't like to talk much about her-all he says is that I am named after her, that she made him change from being an avenger to a redeemer…and that I look exactly like her, except she had pink hair, just like a sakura blossom tree. Oh and also that she was on Team 7 with him and Naruto-san."_

_"So you don't even know your Okaasan's last name?" My sensei carefully looked at me, her old eyes sharpening and turning green before my eyes._

_"…no…the stuff that Otousan would tell us about Okaasan are stuff that happened when she was traveling with him for three years…"_

_"SAKURA!" Oniichan sprang up to his feet and before I could blink, he already slapped me across the cheek, his red Sharingan eyes blazing with anger. _

_"Oniichan?" I stared up in shock, my hand going up to my cheek and wincing as my fingers came into contact with the rapidly swelling skin. _

_"You're not suppose to say anything," he growled. "No one is supposed to know!" _

Then, he raised his hand and I closed my eyes, expecting him to hit my other cheek. When nothing happened, I peeked out and was startled to see Inomaru standing before me, shielding me from oniichan. I looked at the ground and noticed that Inomaru had used his shadow bind on my brother and was holding him in place. Our sensei just sat back and watched everything, her cloudy blue eyes hooded behind her grey hair. For a moment, my heart stopped as her appearance changed for a split second-grey hair flashing to pink-but when I activated my Sharingan, she remained the same-grey hair, blue eyes, wrinkled face-that I shook my head, thinking it was a trick of the light or the heat or the stress from today.

"Get out…" Inomaru's voice was cold and harsh as he stared at my brother. Oniichan's Sharingan started spinning but Inomaru calmly closed his eyes to avoid being put into a hypnotic state. "I may not know as much jutsus as you and you could very well hurt me later but there's one thing I do know and that is to never hit a woman, no matter how troublesome she is. And what's even worse is that you are hitting your own sister."

Oniichan deactivated his Sharingan, and when Inomaru released the shadow bind, he just glared at me one more time before walking off into the forest.

Our sensei just sighed before slowly getting up from the tree stump. She dismissed Inomaru and me and told us to meet her in this spot the next morning for actual training now that introduction was over. But before we left, I asked her for her name and she told us to call her "Haruno-sensei" and to make sure oniichan knows that too. Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Inomaru offered to walk me back to the Uchiha district, and I just nodded absentmindedly, my thoughts racing a mile a minute. "Inomaru…" I stopped and pulled at his hand and he gave a sigh before pulling his hand away and stuffing them in his pockets. "Um…arigato…and gomen…don't be mad at oniichan…he had every right to be upset with me and he's never hit me before. It's just…it's just the stress from today."

He closed his eyes and just stood there, still as a statue. For a moment, I thought he was asleep, but then, he looked up as a flock of sparrows flew overhead. His blond hair glinted lightly in the setting sun and his dark brown eyes caught the last remaining rays as he turned his attention to me. He frowned, as if he was thinking of something and did not know how to say it.

"Inomaru?"

"Sakura…Haruno-sensei was using a genjutsu on you. Since we're teammates, I thought I should let you know."

But before I could respond, I heard a few shrieks coming from my left. Beside me, Inomaru was shaking his head and looked ready to run, his tired lazy posture turning into that of a rabbit on alert. Suddenly, a swarm of girls about my age was surrounding Inomaru and shoving me away.

"Ino-chan! Where have you been? Wanna get ramen?"

"Go away! He's my boyfriend! Ino-chan, let's go out and watch a movie!"

One girl turned to me and gave me an evil glare. "Look girls, it's an Uchiha. An actual Uchiha. Let's get Inomaru out of here before she uses her Sharingan to fool him."

The other girls turned to look at me, each giving me a glare or two.

"Go and leave the village and be with your traitor father!"

"My momma says that you can't be friends with an Uchiha. It's like being friends with a snake."

"Yeah, I heard her father summons snakes! Euw!"

I took a step back, chanting under my breath to keep my control. I knew I was a lot stronger than these girls and Otousan told me never to misuse my powers.

Then, my brother appeared right by my side.

The girls each had different reactions. Some gasped, some actually fainted, and other girls were shrieking.

"Ooh he's so cute!"

"Stop, he's an Uchiha too!"

"Inomaru is a lot cuter!"

"No he's not. This guy is hotter!"

I sweat dropped as they started bickering and fighting with each other. Inomaru just gave me an apologetic glance before disappearing, leaving the girls without them noticing. Oniichan formed a few quick seals and did a Kawarimi no jutsu and replaced us with two Kage bunshins.

On our way home, we encountered more hated stares and angry whispers. I was on the verge of crying once we stepped into the Uchiha District. We immediately went to the training area near our house and oniichan has been practicing kunai throwing for the past hour.

End of Flashback

"If we leave, we would just be a burden to Otousan." Oniichan was about to protest when I held up a hand to stop him. "We were beaten so many times in the past two days. By Hyuga-san, Naruto-san, and even Inomaru! It doesn't matter how many jutsus we know. We don't have enough chakra to last more than one battle. We are not aware of our surroundings, according to Hyuga-san and Nara-san. We will just be a burden to Otousan."

"Not if we have the Mangekyou Sharingan…" The whisper floated and hung in the air. Everything was still and silent, as if the whole world was holding its breath as time froze.

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic. Here's some explanation: Haruno Sakura left Konohagakure no Sato at the age of 15 and traveled with Sasuke for three years before her death in the Valley of the End. However, nobody but Naruto knew that she was with Sasuke. Everyone, even the Godaime, thought she was collecting medical jutsus from different villages and countries. That's one of the requirements to be considered a Legendary Sannin. At the age of 20, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura are named the new Legendary Sannin. Some villagers still resent that Sasuke left the village but he hasn't committed any crimes beyond that. The shinobis are aware of what he is doing outside the village and so they accept him and his children without any problems. Uchiha Sakura wasn't suppose to say anything about her mom being with her dad for three years-and hence that's why Shishui got mad. That's why some villagers thought that Sasuke raped a woman and got her pregnant-they can't tell that Uchiha Sakura looks like Haruno Sakura because they can't see past their hate. Also Haruno Sakura has pink hair while Uchiha Sakura has black hair-Villagers are fooled just by that simple fact. As I put before, only shinobis can tell because they know how to look and be observant. 


	6. Uchiha District

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Ten Days Ago: (3rd person's point of view)**

"Kagome-san, you have been living in the Uchiha District for six months now. The Counsel recognizes your right to leave if you wish to do so. As atonement for the actions of Itachi, you are granted one request. However, if you wish to seek Him out, you are only seeking out a Death Sentence. The head of the clan is already doing so-please leave it in his capable hands."

A young girl, around 12 years of age, kept her head bowed, her silver hair hiding her eyes. Two Anbu members were standing guard by the door and three Jounins were leaning against the wall. In front of her sat the Uchiha Counsel, made up of six members. Behind her, all the "Uchihas" sat quietly, waiting for her decision. Many of them had already undergone through this and many more will go through the same trial as her.

"Ano…" Her quiet voice quivered in the stillness of the room. "One request?"

"Yes child," Kenji, a grandfatherly figure and one of the oldest members of the Counsel, smiled reassuringly at her. "One request within certain limits."

"My…family…" And with that the girl raised her head up, her fists clenched tightly in front of her, as if to shield her body from an unseen attack. "My family…died. All of them…every single one of them. Why?"

"Please understand that you are not alone in this. Everyone living in the Uchiha District has went through the same thing as you…"

"And yet," She angrily interrupted, "Some have adopted that very monster's Last Name! Why?"

Behind her Anbu Mask, Tenten glanced over to the Uchiha twins. They were standing to the right of the Counsel and facing Kagome, watching over the proceedings. The Jounins were to the right of them. Their posture appeared to be relax and nonchalant but they were actually on high alert. Meetings like these have gotten dangerous in the past. However, this fact did not deter any "Uchiha" from coming and attending.

Kenji again spoke up, his tone kind yet firm. "Please do not disparage their decision. It is what they requested. You have one request. Ask anything within our power and we will grant it to you."

Kagome was still glaring at the Uchiha twins. A slow smirk formed in her pale face. Tenten could see that the other shinobis felt the murderous intent emitting from the child.

"Atonement? Nothing I ask can inflict pain upon that…THAT MAN." She paused as if to gather her thoughts, her eyes flickering between the Counsel and the twins. "However...I would like to punish Uchiha Sasuke for his crime."

A collective gasp echoed throughout the audience. Those who have come to terms with the past frowned while those that were recently rescued remained silent, their minds and hearts still undecided on their feelings. Kagome, it seemed, had settled on hate and vengeance.

"What crime has Uchiha Sasuke done to you, my child?" Kenji's eyes furrowed over his wrinkled face. "He has done no crime in this village, much less to this district. He has been pardoned long ago for leaving Konohagakure no Sato and has traveled many roads in search of Him with the sole purpose of ending His life. He was the one who rescued you."

"How many years has he pursued that MONSTER?" Kagome's eyes took on a crazed look. "Are we even sure he is trying to kill Itachi?" She paused and her voice hardened. "I would have been better off dead than…than living with the nightmares."

A cry went up in the audience as a little boy started bawling in the back. Talk erupted among the audience as Kagome's accusation settled over them like a tightly woven net.

Kagome continued over the voices, her own ringing harsh against the bare walls. "Over ten years. Fourteen to be exact! Fourteen years of searching for Itachi and never succeeding. And due to his failure, families have been destroyed and clans were wiped out in a single night! We should force Uchiha Sasuke to destroy Uchiha Itachi once and for all."

Suddenly, a single slap resounded clearly in the room and silence fell quickly as everyone reverted their attention back to Kagome. In front of her stood Uchiha Sakura, her open hand falling to her side. Kagome's head was tilted to the left and a red handprint emerged on her pale right cheek.

"Itachi," growled out the 8-year old girl, the three dots in each of her sharingan swirled as she glared at Kagome, "is not an Uchiha. He is a murderer, a monster, and wiped out my clan! My father is his first victim. You are not the first nor are you the last. What right do you have to talk like this?"

Kagome turned her head to face Sakura and smirked. She pushed the Uchiha heir off to the side and ignored the angry mutterings coming from behind her. Bowing to the Uchiha Counsel, she straightened up and voiced her one request.

Tenten could do nothing but gape as Kagome declared what she wanted.

"I want Uchiha Shishui to behead Uchiha Sakura and give me her head as Atonement. That is my one request."

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic. Here's some explanation: Sasuke, after the birth of his children and the "death" of Haruno Sakura stopped pursuing Itachi aggressive because he had to protect his children. He spent most of his time traveling from village to village, hiding and outrunning Itachi. However, Itachi started playing with Sasuke and started killing off clans and leaving one or two survivors for Sasuke to discover. Sasuke would tend to them and send them to Konoha to live in the Uchiha District for safety. Hence, the Uchiha District is bustling with people-everyone living there with the exception of the Twins are all survivors of Itachi's massacres. 


	7. 2nd Goal of Uchiha Sasuke

**To Protect His Dream…**

**Nine Days Ago: (3rd person's point of view)**

Haruno Sakura saw them sitting on the dock, bare feet dangling in the darkened waters of the lake and the sliver of the moon casting a faint light on their backs. Forming a couple of one-handed seals, she used a genjutsu to hide herself from their sights. The faint tingle of the illusion jutsu however drew attention and their heads whipped back to look for an intruder. But all they saw were darkened trees that lined stood silently behind them.

Shishui activated his sharingan and scanned the area once more. He gasped as he saw a woman that looked amazingly like his sister…except her hair was pink…the color of cherry blossoms. She smiled sadly at him and when he blinked his eyes, she was gone. The trees remained silent, as if they were keeping many secrets in their gnarled branches and waiting stoically for more to spill out during the night.

_Maybe it's a sign_ Shishui glanced worriedly at his sister, her own sharingan eyes activated and swirling. _Maybe…it's her future self saying goodbye to me…Telling me to take this road instead… _

"One more hour until the Counsel gives their decision to Kagome-san." He returned his attention back to the lake, studying the faint reflection of the waning moon. "We should leave. Find Otousan and help him out. This is fate."

Sakura shook her head, tendrils of black hair waving in the slight breeze. "If they reject her request, she can ask for another. We have to see this through. We are the heirs of the original Uchiha clan and we are adults in the Counsel's eyes since we can perform the Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu."

"They have to grant her request," Shishui softly whispered, thinking back to his conversation with Tenten-san, one of the two Anbu members that were present in yesterday's meeting.

Flashback:

_"Uchiha-san," a warm hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to look at the Anbu, her mask hiding her face from him. She lifted her mask and warm brown eyes greeted his green ones. "Just leave your sister alone. She needs time to think." _

_"There's nothing to think about!" he snarled, pulling back with disbelief. "The Counsel will never permit such request to go through!" _

_"My name is Hyuuga Tenten." She offered a smile to him, ignoring his scowling face. "You met my husband the other day, Hyuuga Neji. I believe he was the one that tested you and your sister. He was also the other Anbu member at the meeting." She sat back on her knees and looked wistfully at the garden through the window. A single nightingale perched on top of a lone tree was singing a sad song. She sighed before continuing. "The Counsel have allowed such requests before." _

_"WHAT?" It was so tempting to run, to hide, to ignore the words that was pouring out of this Anbu's mouth. But something inside him told him to stay still, to listen, to hear the truth from this woman. _

_"You were too young to remember. But your father had appeared at these meetings before. He stopped attending when one of the requests was for him to stay clear of the proceedings. It was not meant to prohibit your father from overseeing clan meetings as the Head but rather the little girl did not want 'Uncle Sasuke' to hurt anymore because of the 'mean people'. At that time, fifteen people had already converted their last names to Uchiha and formally joined the clan. However, ten people had also requested your father's death. Four of the ten people wanted a fair fight, a chance to beat and kill your father honorably. The other six asked for his head." _

_"The Counsel allowed it?" _

_"Your father was the only one who made the decision before…When the sixth 'Uchiha' was formally welcomed, your father decided to make a Counsel with only those six members. However, two of the six originally requested for a fight with your father, thinking that he was weak because he was never able to kill Itachi. And one had asked for your father's head." _

_He shook his head, unable to believe that half of the Counsel had wanted his father's death. "Who…who were they?" _

_At that question, Tenten smiled. "Kenji, although the oldest, was the sixth and last member to enter the Counsel. He was the one who asked for your father's head. Minako, a former Mist kunoichi, and Aoshi, who originally came from the Sand village, asked to fight your father." _

_"But Tenten-san," Shishui frowned as he thought about the Counsel members. "Those are the three oldest in the Counsel. The rest are only 14 years old." _

_ Haku, Hige, and Chisara…all three were only seven years old and were rescued within weeks of each other…they were the first three to adopt the Uchiha name. They asked at the same time. They came up to your father when he brought the tenth survivor and asked for one request for each of them. At that time, the whole proceedings did not even exist. Chisara, you could say, was the leader among the three, although the other two are not exactly meek followers. She argued her way through to get their requests granted. And when your father granted their requests, naturally, others followed suit." _

_"So what did otousan do with Kenji-san's request?" _

_"Your father was ready to grant his request. The baka even gave Kenji the katana to kill him off. The katana was a family heirloom, used by the previous members of the clan to execute traitors." _

_"Otousan must have evaded the katana then…" _

_"No." Again, Tenten smiled wistfully at the memories. "Your baka father knelt and supplicated himself in front of the old man. He kept his head on the ground, the Uchiha fan blazing on the back of his black shirt. Just as Kenji swung the sword, Chisara rushed in and put her head on top of your father's. The old man, thankfully, was able to stop the sword before it reached her neck." _

_"Chisara-san truly did that?" _

_"…hmmm…" and with that Tenten grew silent, contemplating on whether to give the young boy the entire truth of the ordeal. It was true that Chisara was the one that argued with Sasuke about the name…but the idea was suggested by someone else. And it was true that someone did save Sasuke…but it was not the seven year old girl…for she was in the medic center with a bad case of the flu. Someone who treated Chisara was that very someone who planted the idea of the young lost children adopting the formal name of Uchiha…and that someone was the one who ran in to protect and save the Uchiha clan leader...That someone was Haruno Sakura. _

_Tenten continued with the story, praying under her breath that the boy would not notice that she did not answer his question. "The other five people who wanted your father's head had the exact same thing happen to them. It was not …Chisara…the whole time…" _

_Shishui nodded his head. "Hige and Haku." _

_Tenten, again, fell silent. She did not lie to the boy but gave out the half-truth without him even noticing. 'It was not…Chisara…the whole time…' The other half is 'It was Haruno Sakura, your okaasan, the whole time…always protecting your father.' _

_"Anyways, after your father stopped coming to the proceedings, we still sent word out to him to tell him what each request was. Many others have sought to kill your father as their request. All have failed. Unlike within the village, your father fought back. This is due to the fact that nobody would be able to protect you and your sister if he should die. In Konoha, your father has many strong allies that would have gladly protected and cared for both of you, one of them being Uzumaki Naruto. Also, others who have tried, upon seeing you and Sakura, would change their heart and leave your father be. Some of them came back to the village and formally requested to be adopted into the Uchiha clan. Others formed new paths, new homes, away from Konoha." _

_Shishui clenched his fists, finding it hard to believe that many who are now in the clan had sought his father's destruction in the past. _

_Tenten continued softly, "Although the Counsel has said that the request have to be within certain limits…Truth be told, there is no limit save that the person cannot ask to seek out Itachi nor ask an Anbu to do it. It is the one thing that your father will not allow. Itachi's death must be at his hands and his hands alone." She paused and glanced out the window again. Sometime, the nightingale had stopped singing its song. "Uchiha-san, go talk to your sister. They have to grant her request. Please prepare and expect the unexpected." _

End of Flashback

"Oniichan…"

Sakura's soft voice brought Shishui back to the present. He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Even if they grant her request, they cannot force my hand to kill you."

His feet splashed a little water up her legs and Sakura let out a giggle. "Oniichan, it's cold!"

"I'll make it colder…"

"What?" Sakura instinctively brought her hands up to block the fist coming at her from her brother. However, Shishui shifted his momentum to the other hand that was coming straight for her back. A loud shriek broke through the quiet night, immediately followed by a splash.

Minutes later, the twins were back to their original positions, sitting on the dock with their feet dangling in the water. Their clothes were just slightly damped as each took turns executing a Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu to warm themselves up.

Sakura watched as her brother manipulated the fireball larger and larger before going in reverse and making it smaller and smaller. She wrung her hands nervously, hoping that he won't lose control of it due to what she was about to say.

"Oniichan…you have to grant her request."

The only indication that Shishui heard what she was saying was the furrowing of his brows. Sakura continued, her voice solemn but unwavering.

"You can achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan this way without guilt."

Shishui stopped the fireball all together and just stared in shock at his twin. Emerald green eyes looked into his own challengingly, daring him to defy what she said.

"No Sakura."

"It's the only way."

"No Sakura."

"You know what I say is true."

"No Sakura."

"Uchiha Shishui!" Sakura jumped to her feet and glared down at her brother. He kept his eyes on her, eyes that look so much like her own…and according to otousan…eyes that look so much like their okaasan's. She stomped her foot down angrily, her hands fisted at her side. "You were the one that brought up the Mangekyou Sharingan. You have to kill your best friend. AND I AM YOUR BEST FRIEND, NE?"

Shishui held back a shiver of fear as his sister glowered above him. He could swear he saw flames dancing in her eyes as she shook her fists at him.

He smiled sadly at her and took one of her fisted hands, tugging her down to sit next to him. "Of course you are my best friend..."

"Then you have to do it," Sakura nodded her head, and if the issue was anything but beheading her, Shishui would have caved in.

"No Sakura…not like that. It's not fair."

"Then how oniichan? HOW?"

"I want a fair fight between us, just like how Otousan and Naruto-san fought in the Valley of the End…you can activate the Mangekyou Sharingan too. I will not gain it any other way but a fight between us. That way…it is fair. Whoever wins goes and helps out otousan. At least that way, we both gave it our all."

Footsteps came up right behind them and they both turned around. Kenji, the grandfatherly counsel member, bowed to them, telling them that the Counsel has made their decision and the meeting was about to start. Shishui pulled Sakura up and embraced her, then grabbed her hand and walked solemnly behind Kenji.

Haruno Sakura waited until they were inside the building and out of sight before releasing the genjutsu. She whistled and a few seconds later, a falcon swooped down and landed on her outstretched left arm. She winced as the talons dug into her soft flesh. Writing a few words down on a scroll, she attached the message to its legs and let it loose. She could only hope and pray that the falcon will deliver the news quickly and safely. Their children's lives depended on it.

I don't own Naruto. I am not making any money off of this fanfic so please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student. Please review if you like the fanfic. Warning: this is going to be a long fanfic. Also, if you completely missed it: Sakura is helping Sasuke restore his clan in two ways- By giving him children to pass down the Sharingan Bloodline limit and by "adopting" survivors (suggesting them to adopt) into the clan.


End file.
